I awoke, disoriented from
a deep slumber. I looked up, expecting the sight of scattered stars. Instead it
was pitch black. Slowly, it dawned on me that I was sleeping in a hammock
inside a cave, where the ceiling rose as high as 200 feet.
I checked my watch and it
said 6:35 a.m. It was daytime outside, but inside the cave, it was always dark
night. I stood up and packed my
things as we prepared for breakfast before making our way to the exit at the
other end. Excited, I prepared mentally for the rigorous routes that awaited us
in the many chambers of Langun Gobingob.
The
man who caved in
The day before we entered
the mammoth mouth of Langun Gobingob cave in Calbiga, Samar, cave master Joni
Bonifacio of Trexplore the Adventures,
gave us a brief backgrounder of the cave.
 |
| Audrey from Belgium beside me and the Polish couple on both sides |
Known to the locals for
many decades, the cave gained prominence in 1987 when an Italian group of
speleologists, headed by Guido Rossi, explored the cave’s deeper and farthest
chambers. After a thorough mapping process, local caving enthusiasts soon
joined future explorations.
Joni Bonifacio was one of
many who was lured by the cave’s allure. Not long after, he started guiding his
friends on weekend forays inside Langun Gobingob. After having spent a
hundred spelunking trips to the cave, Bonifacio decided to put up Trexplore the
Adventures – an adventure outfitter guiding travelers to Samar, Leyte and
Biliran.
In the years that
followed, Bonifacio became the go-to guide for caving buffs wanting to explore
Samar’s many cave systems. He became so popular that even the Lonely Planet guidebook
highly recommends him.
‘Biggest’
cave in the Philippines
Inside Calbiga Cave, we
saw a treasure trove of karst formations of different shapes and sizes spanning
an underground labyrinth of 2,970 hectares. The sight solidified current claims
of it being the biggest cave system in the Philippines and one of the largest
in Asia. It is so huge that our original camping spot is called the “football
field.”
When we entered the cave,
hard rain the previous night had made it into a swamp with three-foot mud,
forcing us to make an emergency campsite at one of the cave’s flat portions.
‘Leave
no trace’ Policy
Inside the cave, we
religiously followed the leave no trace
policy of Sir Joni. Not only we made sure of bagging all our trash, everything related to call of nature should either go inside a plastic bottle – for urine, and the
garbage bag for all poops.
 |
| Spot the bottle of urine and the plastic bag of poop. |
I know peeing on a
bottle is a walk in the park compared
to doing the number 2. I thought I was safe from pooping
but lo and behold, I woke up the next day hearing some roaring sounds emanating
from my tummy.
So, I decided to hunch
down beside a number of dead stalagmites and went over my business. The trick
was to spread a plastic bag as wide as you can before putting sheets of
tissue papers over it, so it will absorb the poop’s fluid. Then when you’re
done, gently roll it over and tie it up to close before putting it inside a large
garbage bag. It was easier done than when you think about it, I just pity the guide who
had to carry it out of the cave.
Tangled
maze of spectacular chambers
The next day, on our way
out, we saw the full grandeur of Langun Gobingob cave. From one chamber to
another, we were greeted by extraordinary stalactite and stalagmite formations.
Even in the dark with only our headlamps illuminating our way, we could clearly
see the calcium carbonate-covered rock formations shimmering like extravagant
jewels.
For each chamber, Joni had
a name. Giant Chandeliers, for example, referred to the part where stalactites
looked exactly like the dripping crystals of huge chandeliers. Each time exhaustion crept
in, all I would do was direct my headlamp into the fascinating rock formations
around me and it would be replaced by sheer euphoria.
The last part of our route
should tickle every adventurer’s imagination. We waded through chest-deep
natural pools, ambled through mud-filled cavernous passageways, and rappelled
down from a 40-meter high wall. Every inch of the cave was designed by nature
to cater to every swashbuckling caver.
While splashing my way
into another natural pool, I finally saw the light emanating from the mouth of
the cave.
“We’re almost there,” I
told myself as Audrey, my new friend from Belgium, strode behind me. Mixed
feelings reigned over me as we posed for a photograph celebrating our two-day
assault of Langun Gobingob Cave. Ecstatic that I could finally relax all my
limbs and muscles, I also felt the blues at leaving this astonishing spot.
As we exchanged high
fives, I turned around for one last glance and thanked Mother Nature for
spending thousands of years carving this remarkable cave.
***************
This
article first appeared on the Lifestyle page of The Daily Tribune on July 21,
2018.
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